hallowed
Americanadjective
adjective
-
set apart as sacred
-
consecrated or holy
Related Words
See holy.
Other Word Forms
- hallowedly adverb
- hallowedness noun
Etymology
Origin of hallowed
First recorded before 900; Middle English halwed; Old English (ge)halgod; see hallow + -ed 2
Explanation
The adjective hallowed is used to describe something that is sacred and revered, usually something old and steeped in tradition. The word hallowed often has a religious connotation, but it can also be used playfully to convey a sense of reverence about something that isn’t religious in nature but that nonetheless inspires worship. A football fan, for example, may talk about the hallowed tradition of tailgating on a game day Saturday, or an avid shopper may describe the hallowed grounds of the Macy’s shoe department. In the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln used the word with its more traditional sense to ponder man's inability to show the proper reverence to those men who died in battle: "But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate…we cannot consecrate…we cannot hallow…this ground."
Vocabulary lists containing hallowed
Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
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A Midsummer Night's Dream
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "H"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"It's an unbelievable story. To be in this place, it's hallowed ground."
From BBC • Feb. 9, 2026
If Thao or other victims of ICE brought suit, that is, they’d arguably be walking in hallowed footprints.
From Slate • Feb. 4, 2026
Switzerland's runaway World Cup leader Marco Odermatt will fine-tune preparations for the Winter Olympics with a bid for a first victory on the hallowed snow of Kitzbuehel this weekend.
From Barron's • Jan. 21, 2026
Discovery, owner of the most hallowed movie studio in Hollywood, owner of HBO, the crown jewel of peak TV a few short years ago.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 2, 2025
He must have asked the obvious question, and that was when she broke the hallowed rule.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
